With steady rise in use of mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets, etc. there has been a growing need of compact imaging devices such as a camera that can be integrated with the devices. Thus, technology has been on a path to pursue ever higher picture quality in an ever-smaller form factor by including features such as larger lens aperture, lower Z profile, optical image stabilization, and the like. However, techniques implemented to increase lens aperture to admit more light, higher dynamic range, reduction in physical size, etc. translate into increased complexities in design and manufacturing of components of the imaging device.
In recent years, Autofocus (AF) and Image Stabilization (IS) have become prominent features in camera of the mobile devices. AF can bring an image that the user desires to capture into focus and can be accomplished by displacing a lens along an optical axis to control distance between lens and image capturing mechanism. Further, IS enhances picture quality by minimizing blur in the picture that can be caused by any external vibration such as from the hand-shaking while holding a camera. According to a conventional configuration used to implement IS, an actuator performs camera-shake correction by moving a lens according to camera shake detected by a vibration sensor. The lens moving section includes three main members: a base plate fixed to a housing, a first slider that moves in a X-axis direction with respect to the base plate, and a second slider that moves in a Y-axis direction with respect to the base plate. However, the lens moving section of said configuration is bulky and consequently, makes implementation of the configuration in small camera for mobile devices unfeasible.
Therefore, there is a need of an enhanced apparatus for imaging devices that overcome existing and other disadvantages of existing configurations and can provide AF and IS functionalities even for compact devices.